Simply meant to be
by amber-goddess
Summary: A fic about Jack and Sally's relationship, and where it might have gone after the movie. Jack asks Sally to move in with him, and the doctor tells Sally the truth about boys....(Jack/Sally - obviously ^^)


Authors note: This is supposed to be a kind of continuation from my fic 'A longing that I've never known', but it's not really necessary to have read that first. It is going to deal with some 'adult' themes, but don't worry, I'm not going to get graphic - no NBC lemons here. It's just something that I think they would have to eventually deal with. If you have a problem with it, I don't mind you saying so, but lets all be grown ups here, huh?  
  
I seem to remember reading a fic where Jack's house was referred to as Skellington Manor, and another one where the Doctor's new creation is referred to as Jewell. I can't remember who came up with these terms, but if the authors state so I'd be more than happy with crediting them with these names.  
  
Merry Christmas everybody!  
  
********  
  
"For it is plain as anyone can see  
  
We're simply meant to be." - Jack and Sally, from the Nightmare before Christmas  
  
*******  
  
It was a perfect night. Again.  
  
Jack Skellington seemed to have been having a lot of perfect nights recently. Maybe it was down the fair weather that Halloween Town had been experiencing over the past few weeks. That would have been the most logical explanation. But no, it wasn't that. As pleasant as the warm night air was, Jack knew that his happiness was due to the fact that he held Sally in his arms. Somehow, she brought something to the evening that it would have otherwise lacked. It was she who made it perfect.  
  
In his eyes at least.  
  
They were sitting on top of the spiral hill, as they had been all night. The cemetery lay around them, dark and silent, twisted gravestones juttying out from barbed coils of thorns and ivy. A milky moon hung low against the horizon, and far to the eastern hills the sky began to pale into lilac. The stars that had glittered so bright only an hour before were now silently vanishing into nothing. Dawn was approaching.  
  
Leaning against his chest, one of his boney arms wrapped around her waist, Sally stirred. "It will be morning soon," she whispered, thinking aloud rather than speaking to him in particular.  
  
Jack didn't reply at once. He nuzzled his head against the top of hers, kissing her hair softly and tightening his grip around her slender stomach.  
  
"I have to go," she protested weakly.  
  
"Stay. Just a little longer."  
  
The rag-doll girl sighed and pulled away from his arms, sitting up and dusting her skirt off. "I'm sorry Jack, but I can't." She smiled sadly up at the look of disappointment that crossed his boney features. "I have work to do."  
  
If Jack possessed eyes in his empty sockets, he might well have rolled them at that point. "You'd think it would kill him to fix his own breakfast for once," he muttered darkly.  
  
The Pumpkin King made no secret of what he thoughts of Sally's treatment at the hands of Dr Finklestein. He was disgusted --- horrified --- at the thought of the woman he loved being subjected to near servitude. He would have dearly loved to tell the good doctor exactly what he thought of him --- but Sally would have never allowed that.  
  
She looked at him now, soft smile playing on her mouth. "Please, don't start that again. Let's just enjoy the time that he have together, hm?"  
  
Jack stared at her for a moment longer, then looked away. This was how it was every night. They would meet on this hill and spend the night in each others company. Sometimes they would talk, sometimes they would not. It didn't matter either way. They were content to simply be together. For Jack, that was the greatest feeling in the world --- to hold Sally close and know that his long search was over. He had found what it was that he was looking for, and now the empty space in his heart was filled. He was complete, and that knowledge gave him greater happiness than he had ever known.  
  
But this joy was twinned with sadness. All the time that they spent together on the hill, Jack was painfully aware that the hour grew closer when he and Sally would be forced to part. Dr Finklestein might have Jewell to assist him in the lab nowadays, but he still relied on Sally to do the household chores. This meant that at every sunrise, the young red- haired girl would leave Jack in order to return to her home and start on her work. And every time they parted, the skeleton felt his heart break once again. He reached out and took her hands in his own, moving closer until he kneeled by her side. "But the time that we have together is so short," he murmured sorrowfully.  
  
Sally closed her eyes. "That can't be helped, Jack. It's just the way things are."  
  
"But maybe --- maybe it doesn't have to be that way."  
  
The rag-doll blinked softly, titling her head as she considered him carefully. "What do you mean?"  
  
Jack paused, suddenly nervous. It was a strange and unfamiliar feeling for the charismatic monarch of Halloween Town - one of which he was unaccustomed too. The question was burning inside him but he suddenly doubted that he had the courage to speak the words.  
  
"Sally, you know that I love you, don't you?"  
  
She smiled and nodded. Their hands were still entwined and she gave his boney fingers a loving squeeze. "Of course."  
  
"And --- well, I hope that you love me too."  
  
"Jack, what is this?" She shook her head, eyebrows drawn together. "You don't look well at all."  
  
He wasn't feeling particularly well either. The romantic scene that he had planned out in his head was suddenly crashing around his ears, the words sticking in his throat. His nerves were starting to get the better of him as he fumbled desperately for something to say.  
  
"What I mean to say is that --- well, I --- I --- I mean---"  
  
He felt a warm hand brush against his cheek. Glancing up, he found himself staring into Sally's upturned face. She was suddenly a lot closer than she had been only a moment before, her slender body almost pressing against his.  
  
And strangely, that helped. The knot of fear that had been twisting in his gut suddenly dissipated. Looking down into her bright eyes, he knew exactly what it was that he wanted to say.  
  
He sighed and rested his forehead against hers, eyelids half shut over his empty sockets. "I don't want us to be forced to part every morning. It breaks my heart every time you leave ---- and I think it makes you unhappy too. It just --- it just seems so pointless when we could be together."  
  
She frowned, not understanding. "What are you saying?"  
  
Jack swallowed and looked down at her. Even kneeling down as he was, he was still comparatively tall. Sally's face was tilted upward so that she could look at him, lips parted slightly, eyes wide. With the cold light of the setting moon on her features, Jack doubted that there had ever been a more beautiful woman to grace Halloween Town.  
  
And he loved her so much.  
  
"Sally," he murmured quietly, "I would be honored --- if you would come and live with me."  
  
  
  
  
  
A sickly yellow dawn rose over the village, pale sunshine waking the macabre citizens as a new day began. One such nightmare creature, the two faced Mayor of Halloween Town, was up bright and early, trotting down the lane to call at Skellington Manor. He hummed jauntily under his breath, hat tilted forward. He was in a good mood that morning. Preparations for that years Halloween festivities were moving along splendidly and the general consensus amongst the people that this year promised to be the best Halloween to date.  
  
Of course, that had little to do with the Mayor himself. His role was a formal title alone. The real power behind Halloween was the Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington. It was he who had the ideas, he who organized everything, he who spent hours and hours checking over every minute detail ----  
  
Every year under Jack's rule, Halloween had gone with a bang. The boy had a real gift. But this season, the Mayor knew that it was going to be something truly special. He had never seen Jack so fired up ---- so enthusiastic about his work. He briefly wondered whether it had anything to do with the Christmas fiasco of last year. Certainly whatever had happened to change their terrifying monarch, the Mayor hoped that it kept up. If things carried on this well, his next term in office was an almost sure thing.  
  
He knocked at the heavy wooden door.  
  
Silence.  
  
"Jack? Are you there? It only me, I've come to talk to you about the number of Jack-O-Lanterns needed this year."  
  
Still, there was no reply. The Mayor began to get anxious, remembering what had happened the last time Jack had gone off without telling anyone ---  
  
Thankfully, he didn't have long to worry. The iron gates behind him squealed open, causing the pot-bellied man to turn. His face instantly lit up.  
  
"Jack! What are you doing out so early?"  
  
The tall skeleton walked towards him swiftly, a wide grin stretched literally ear to ear across his pale face. He hurried up to shake his visitor warmly by the hand.  
  
"Good morning, Mayor! Good morning! Is it early? I hadn't noticed. Would you care to come inside? Maybe stop for a coffee? A cup of tea? A glass of blood? I could fix us a rat smoothie if you'd prefer?"  
  
Stunned, the Mayor stood still for a moment, digesting the whirlwind of a young man. Jack Skellington was renowned for his enthusiasm, but right now he looked like a kid in a candy store. He hadn't yet let go of his hand and was still shaking it zealously. The Mayor had to take a step backwards in order to get him to stop.  
  
"My, Jack! You certainly seem to be in a good mood today!"  
  
Jack breathed happily, grin unfading. "And why wouldn't I be? The sun is in the sky, there's screaming in the air --- it's a beautiful day to be undead, don't you think?" He didn't wait for an answer, but continued regardless. "I certainly do. In fact, I've been thinking about declaring a public holiday. The citizens of Halloween Town have been working hard all year and it would be nice to give them something in return. Say, a week off work? Would they like that? Oh, I hope so. Wouldn't it be a lovely gesture?"  
  
The Mayor blinked helplessly, staring at the young man in a mixture of shock and amazement. Shaking his head, he held up his hands for silence. "Jack, please, slow down! I can't understand a word you're saying!"  
  
Undaunted, the tall skeleton simply laughed. "How can I possibly slow down when there's so much work to do! It's high time I gave the mansion a good spring clean! I want it to be gleaming for when she arrives!"  
  
"What on earth are you talking about??"  
  
Jack paused. If it was possible, his beaming smile seemed to widen even more. His empty eyes shone in excitement, his voice lowering to a warm murmur. "I want you to be the first to know, Mayor. Sally and I have decided to live together. She's moving in tomorrow! Isn't that great news?!"  
  
The short man stared up at him in shock, seemingly barely registering the words he had spoken. "Sally? Moving in with you?"  
  
Jack nodded happily.  
  
The Mayor blinked, then suddenly broke into a grin. "Why, Jack my lad! That's fantastic! Congratulations!" He reached forward and shook him excitedly by the hand. This time, it was Jack who would have to step away; he was pumping his arm so hard. "I-I'm speechless! When did all this happen?"  
  
The Pumpkin King laughed. "I'll tell you all about it. But first, how about that glass of blood I promised? I just got a new bottle - 1734, a very good year ---- and I'm in the mood to celebrate!"  
  
The two men disappeared, laughing and joking, into the gloomy old mansion. The doors slammed shut with a heavy clang.  
  
Jack was right. He was in the mood to celebrate.  
  
  
  
  
  
Dr Finklestein sat at his laboratory table, bent over a sheet of paper which he was covering in scraggly written equations. His dry tongue peeked out of the corner of his mouth as he worked, domed forehead crossed in a deep frown of concentration. He muttered quietly as he worked. Sally, descending the stairs quietly behind him, watched him in fearful silence. In her hands she bore a loaded tray - his dinner. She had spent all day avoiding speaking to him, but now it seemed that it was unavoidable. She was due to move in with Jack at Skellington Manor the very next day, and she couldn't bring herself to leave without at least telling the Doctor of her plans.  
  
Jewell looked up as entered the lab. The blonde haired woman scowled slightly and set down the test tube she had been holding. She seemed to have developed a kind of resentment towards Sally --- a kind of jealous protectiveness towards Dr Finklestein. Sally didn't know why, but she unnerved her.  
  
"Doctor," Jewell called out, "Your dinner his here."  
  
The grotesque old man looked up from his studies, baring his teeth in a look of greedy delight. "Ahh good --- I'm starving!"  
  
Sally moved cautiously into the lab, eyeing the latest experiment with some trepidation. The Doctor was attempting to cross the genes of a Venus Fly Trap with those of a baboon and the results were --- startling.  
  
"I made your favorite," she told his as she walked closer. "Baked Cockatrice with a Wolfs-Bane salad."  
  
His gloved fingers steepled together under his non-existent chin. "Excellent. It smells wonderful."  
  
Sally ignored the deadly look that Jewell was flashing her and set the tray down on the desk. Standing politely to one side, she waited expectantly.  
  
The Doctor paused, fork raised. "Is there something wrong, Sally?"  
  
"I need to talk to you about something."  
  
He was silent for a moment, one hairless eyebrow lifting quizzically. "Sounds important," he commented thoughtfully.  
  
The red-haired girl didn't reply instantly. She took a minute to compose her thoughts, then nodded. "It is." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Doctor I'm --- I'm moving out."  
  
There was a long silence.  
  
Dr Finklestein slowly raised his head from his food. Behind his dark glasses, his eyes were wide in surprise. "What?"  
  
"Jack has asked me to go and live with him. I agreed. I'll be going sometime tomorrow."  
  
He let out a low hiss between his teeth. "So, you two are that serious about each other?"  
  
Sally raised her chin defiantly. "Yes, we are. Don't even try and stop me ---- Jack is coming to get me tomorrow evening and he so much as thinks that you've-"  
  
"Hush, silly girl, I'm not going to try and stop you."  
  
She paused, doubtful. "----You're not?" This wasn't what she had expected. She had been waiting for him to yell at her --- maybe try and lock her in her room. His mildly spoken reproach was surprising to say the least.  
  
The aging man shook his head and sighed. "I suppose it had to happen sooner or later. I just always imagined it wouldn't happen for a long while yet." He hesitated for a moment. "Are you sure this is what you want?"  
  
"I'm certain."  
  
He nodded. That was the answer he had been expecting.  
  
Heaving himself wearily away from the desk, he began to wheel himself towards a side door, beckoning Sally to follow with a gloved finger.  
  
"In that case, my dear, there are some things that we need to talk about."  
  
Sally followed obediently, closing the door behind her. Only Jewell remained in the lab. She seemed pleased with herself as she returned to examining the test tubes, humming softly as she worked.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Sally, there are matters which we need to discuss. Sit down."  
  
The rag doll girl sat obediently in the chair which he indicated, watching her mentor with wide eyes. He spoke with such seriousness, such solemnity, that she was instantly attentive.  
  
The wizened old doctor rested his chin in his hand, domed brow furrowed in a frown of thought. "Perhaps this is my fault," he murmured after a moment of silence. "Perhaps I lacked sufficient foresight in my decision to keep you from the realities of the world. In my desire to have you remain safe and innocent, it would seem that you have been denied knowledge that a girl of your age needs." He looked up at her, eyes strangely sad behind his darkened glasses. "For that, my dear Sally, I am truly sorry. But it is a mistake that I am more than able to rectify."  
  
Sally watched him in silence, hands clasped in her lap. She had no idea what on earth he was talking about. He seemed to be taking it very seriously though, so she continued to give him due attention.  
  
The old man continued after a beat. "Tell me, how long is it that you have been seeing Jack?"  
  
The girl blushed at such a personal question. "Four months," she admitted shyly.  
  
"Ah, I see. And you care for him deeply, do you not?"  
  
There was a hesitation as Sally looked away, feeling a little self- conscious. "Yes, very much so."  
  
"Of course you do." Finklestein gave what passed as a fatherly smile, moving his chair closer. "And it is perfectly plain that he cares about you too. In fact, I would go as far as to say that the two of you are in love, wouldn't you agree?"  
  
Sally couldn't help but smile softly. Love. What a beautiful word.  
  
"Yes," she murmured, "Yes, I think so."  
  
The Doctor nodded. That was the answer that he had been expecting. "If that is the case, then I think it is time you learnt something of the way in which love works. I have precious little left to teach you Sally ---- you have outgrown a dithering old codger such as myself ---- but I do not want you to move in with that boy until you are told a few simple facts of life."  
  
He paused, mulling over his words for a moment. He didn't want to frighten the poor girl with grisly details, but at the same time he felt that she deserved an honest explanation. Perhaps it would have been a more prudent idea to get Jewell to talk to her instead of him --- still, he supposed that there was no time to change his mind now. Resting his chin against a hand, he began to speak.  
  
"Sally, you may have noticed that you experience certain --- feelings, when you are around Jack. A kind of desire perhaps. There is nothing wrong with these feelings - they are perfectly natural in a girl your age - but you must understand what it is that they entail. Now Jack is a very sensible boy, but, like most his age, he has needs."  
  
"Needs?" She looked at him quizzically. "You mean like someone to cook and clean for him? Because if that's what he wants, I've been doing that for you for years, and I could probably-"  
  
"No, no," Finklestein held up a hand for silence. "That wasn't what I meant. Jack, like any healthy young man, has physical wants. Now I'm not talking about cooking or cleaning or sewing or whatnot --- I'm talking about ---- about ----"  
  
Sally continued to watch him, eyebrows drawn together, obviously not understanding.  
  
"--- Well --- I'm talking about needs of a sexual nature, Sally."  
  
This revelation sparked nothing in the young girl. She stared at him blankly.  
  
"The likelihood is that Jack experiences feelings of sexual desire towards you. Now this is not necessarily *his* fault - the male sexual drive is a fairly powerful one, and something not easily suppressed. But --- eventually --- he may feel the need to satisfy the feelings that he experiences around you."  
  
Sally tilted her head. "How would he do that?"  
  
The doctor sighed inwardly. This was going to be a long night ----  
  
"He would proposition you for sexual intercourse, Sally."  
  
The rag-doll girl blinked, then slowly nodded her head. "Which means ---- ?"  
  
"Which means, he would wish to --- erm, well ---- he would ---- what I mean to say is ----" He floundered for the words for a moment, his brilliant brain coming up with nothing that could help him to explain this to her in a way in which she would understand. Then, suddenly, he hit on an idea. He wheeled himself quickly over to a bookshelf, and, after several minutes of studying the dusty leather-bound volumes, picked out a book and handled it to the young woman.  
  
"Here," he told her, "this should tell you all you need to know."  
  
Sally frowned and read the cover aloud. "The True Nature of Sexual Impulses in Higher Sentients - A Study into the Biology of Desire."  
  
He nodded. "Chapter thirty-four will tell you all you need to know. It has full color illustrations if you need help in understanding."  
  
She looked down at the thick book doubtfully, but returned the nod. "Thank you Doctor, I think I'll go and read it now."  
  
"You're a good girl, my dear." Finklestein looked up at creation fondly, giving her hand a gentle pat. "I shall miss having you around."  
  
The red haired girl raised her eyebrows, slightly surprised by the sentiment. "Really?"  
  
He gave a thoughtful nod. "Of course I will. Do not misunderstand me - I shall certainly not miss being drugged every time you wish to go beyond these walls --- and I shall certainly not miss your shocking lack of respect towards me. But---" he hesitated, then sighed despondently. "Well Sally, you're the closest thing that I have to a daughter. It's hard for any father - no matter how headstrong and obeisant their offspring may be - to see them grow up."  
  
She softened, suddenly smiling. She had not for one moment forgotten all the pain and suffering he had caused her - no words could ever take away all those nights of loneliness - but she knew that she could forgive him. No matter what he had done to her, at the end of the day he was still her father. She owed her life to him.  
  
Sally watched him in silence for a moment, and then reached out and ran her fingers lightly over his domed forehead. "Don't worry," she whispered, "Jack will take good care of me."  
  
The Doctor arched a hairless eyebrow skeptically. "Perhaps you should read that book before you make any rash decisions, child."  
  
"I will. Thank you."  
  
The Doctor watched sorrowfully as Sally rose from her seat and walked out of the room, the door closing behind her with a muffled thud. The one thing he had feared for so long had finally come to pass. She had grown up --- she was independent ---- and she no longer needed him.  
  
Oh, he supposed that he no longer needed her either. Jewell had proven herself to be a more than competent assistant, and her conversation was more to his tastes than Sally's had ever been. In his own twisted way, he had come to care deeply for his latest creation.  
  
But a place in his cold heart would always belong to his first daughters. It pained him to see her go, though he realized it was for the best.  
  
Sighing wearily, he turned in his chair and began to wheel himself back down to his lab.  
  
  
  
  
  
It was almost an hour later when Sally closed the book. Lying down on her single bed, a nearby candle throwing flickering orange light, she stared dully into space for a moment and let out a long breath.  
  
So *that* was what happened.  
  
The text had been difficult to decipher, but the illustrations had left little to the imagination. Sex. That was what the doctor had been trying to explain to her --- sex. Despite herself, the young girl blushed.  
  
Although child-like in her innocence, Sally was more than aware of the difference between men and women - both emotional and physiological. But she had no idea ---- no idea at all ---- that that was how it was done. It all sounded rather messy and awkward, not at all like a pleasurable experience. Was that really what Jack was thinking about??  
  
Pressing her lips together, she drew up her courage and opened the book once more, skimming the pages until she reached chapter twenty. Her wide eyes looked over the text, trying vainly to understand what it was saying -- -  
  
"Most people find the bed to be the most desirable place in which to conduct sexual intercourse. There have been many theories put forward as to why this is the case, but most researchers agree that it is a mixture of several different contributing factors (see case study on page 246 for more detail). Many couples share a bed for this reason----"  
  
Sally didn't read on. Frowning slightly, she sat up, crossing her legs beneath her and resting her chin in her hand. Jack had never shown her his bedroom, but it was logical to assume that he only had one bed. That was something that she had not yet considered. If they were going to be living together --- sharing a home --- would that mean that they were sharing a bed as well?  
  
--- and if they were, what *exactly* was Jack going to expect from her?  
  
Lifting her head upwards, she stared out of her darkened window. From here she cold look out onto the whole of Halloween Town --- even further if she wanted. But there was only one place that she had even been interested in looking out at.  
  
Skellington Manor.  
  
A single light was burning in the tower, the window glowing eerily gold against the unfathomable blackness surrounding it. Evidently, Jack was still awake.  
  
She sighed - as she had so many nights before - and gazed out at the lighted window. She couldn't help but wonder what he was doing --- whether he was feeling lonely. Soon, very soon, she would be out there with him and they would share that tower room together. It was something that she had longed for for so many years ---- but now that it was coming true, the thought seemed to give her little happiness.  
  
She was worried. More than that, she was a little afraid.  
  
Sally loved Jack with all her heart, and she knew that he loved her back. She wanted to be with him more than anything else in the world. But sex was new and undiscovered ground for the young rag-doll girl. They hadn't even prepared for it ---- they hadn't even talked about it. If that was really what he was going to expect from her, she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to give it to him.  
  
Not yet anyway.  
  
Leaning across, she blew out the candle and climbed into bed, pulling the sheets up over her shoulders. Her mind was still buzzing with what she had learnt, and she knew that it would be a long time before she would be able to fall into any kind of real rest.  
  
"Good night Jack," she whispered.  
  
Closing her eyes, she waited for sleep.  
  
  
  
  
  
Inside the tower room, completely oblivious to his lovers concerns, Jack Skellington was having a thorough spring cleaning. An antique silver candelabra was set on the ground, flames casting dancing light across the nearby wall. The dusty old gramophone on the desk was playing a scratchy opera at full blast, the skeleton humming along cheerfully to his favorite bits.  
  
Jack himself sat in the middle of the wooden floor, dressed in his nightshirt. He had had every intention of going to bed, but the excitement of knowing that Sally was moving in had proved too much. Within ten minutes he had given up completely on getting any sleep that night, and so resolved himself to making his ramshackle old mansion look as tidy as possible for the girls arrival. At this moment he was surrounded by a pile of books and papers, and was busily ordering them into carefully organized piles.  
  
That day he had meticulously sorted out all the cupboards in the house, washed all the linen he would find, had cleaned all of the mansions considerable number of windows, had dusted every stick of furniture ---- and now he was working on the chaotic bookshelf in his room. He ought to have been exhausted after all that work. He wasn't though. Quite to the contrary, he felt full of energy. Like anything that Jack Skellington organized, he did it at full steam. And he couldn't help but be happy at his task. After all, he was getting things ready for *her*. Sally. The love of his life and soon to be living partner.  
  
The mere thought made a wide grin of elation spread across his skull-like face.  
  
He wanted everything to be *perfect*. This was the beginning of a new life for the both of them --- something that Jack had been longing for for what seemed like an eternity. And now it was here. Finally. And the truth was, he couldn't have been happier.  
  
But what made it even better was the knowledge that he was going to be feeling like this for the rest of his life. 


End file.
